WHEREAS many BC communities get their drinking water from sources on land privately owned by corporations and individuals other than the local government; AND WHEREAS communities need to manage the land base to provide a safe and constant supply of water: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM lobby the provincial government to implement a program of assistance for communities with water supplies owned privately to acquire the land comprising the water shed.
Minister of Natural Resource Operations The Province has enacted the Action Plan for Safe Drinking Water in BC which outlines the Provinces commitment to ensuring safe, reliable and accessible drinking water for all British Columbians. The multi-agency collaborative approach includes protection from source to tap by improving standards for monitoring, treatment and accountability to the public. The amended Drinking Water Protection Act and regulations came into force May 16, 2003. This legislation gives drinking water officers within local health authorities increased powers to protect water sources from contamination by any drinking water health hazards. The Ministry of Natural Resource Operations is in the process of finalizing base line Water Quality Objectives source specific water quality guidelines for many streams in BC. Community Watershed Designations continue to be an effective tool where areas are identified for the purpose of protecting water quality and the quantity and timing of water flow and preventing cumulative hydrological impacts caused by forest and range activities in watersheds where water is diverted for human consumption. While the Province acknowledges the desire and benefits of landownership for drinking water suppliers, this is often only possible at great financial expense and must consider social economic impacts and effects to existing resource based industries.